Ethical and Social Implications of Vegetarianism

As vegetarianism continued to grow in popularity and diversity, arguments for this ideology became more secular, focusing more on practical implications and effects of a meat and bean-inclusive diet.  Reasons for restrictive diets used less religious justification and instead relied on arguments grounded in practicality and general wellbeing of animals and people.  Beyond logical reasoning, pythagoreans and other vegetarians used social institutions such as government to build reasoning for vegetarianism.  This shift in rhetoric around vegetarianism, while very different than today's, marks new beginnings in ideologies that begin to resemble contemporary vegetarianism.